AYAH HALAWANI & NADA AL BAHRI // NOOK

April 12, 2017

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Beachroad Magazine head to Beach Centre Mall in Jumeirah 1 to meet Ayah Halawani and Nada Al Bahri the co owners and founders of NOOK a boutique that specializes in accessories for the home. NOOK offers an assortment of Scandinavian inspired, minimalistic décor, the brand stands for offering a selection of designed items at affordable price points.

Accessible via its online shop and through a brick and mortar store located in the adored community mall by Dubai’s old timers – Beach Centre, Jumeirah. The world of NOOK is an urban, trendy and warm space for eager home décor aficionados. Founded by long-time friends Ayah Halawani and Nada Al Bahri, the concept store is home to clean, contemporary and modern pieces sourced from interior décor hubs all over the world such as Denmark, Morocco, France, Australia and the like.

With a background in architecture and a finely tuned eye for design, Ayah and Nada were always on the lookout for pieces that lend a fresh perspective to a space but found a gap in the market for items that were unique and didn’t break one’s wallet. This passion and search led to the start of the store purveying a wide spectrum of dinnerware, home-ware, light fixtures, rugs, wall pieces, cushions and adorable little bits for kid’s nurseries and bedrooms. A compliment to the concept is The Flower Bar located within the store, which aims to bring fresh blooms with a quaint edge to the city.

Where do you like to eat, shop and socialise in Dubai.

With both of us being born and raised here, we are really spoilt for choice. We love hanging out in the mall just as much as grabbing a bite from the local cafeteria in Deira’s old town. That is what we love about this city, you never run out of options.

AYAH AND NADA ANSWER THE BEACHROAD MAGAZINE Q&A //

NAME? // Ayah Halawani & Nada Al Bahri

YOUR FIRST JOB? //

Ayah: Event Designer

Nada: Junior Architect

YOUR CURRENT OCCUPATION? //

Ayah: Managing partner of Nook and Architect

Nada: Managing Partner of Nook

WHY DUBAI? // We were both born and raised here, it is our home!

WHO ARE YOUR FURNITURE / DECOR AND INTERIOR INFLUENCES? //

Ayah: I fall for anything and everything handmade, and a little imperfect. I find lots of soul in the work of craftsmen.

Nada: Scandinavian designers. I love minimalistic pieces that lend special attention to detail.

WHAT INSPIRED / MOTIVATED YOU TO START NOOK? //

Ayah: I have always loved product design. When Nada approached me with the idea it just made sense. Combining both our passions we started Nook & The Flower Bar

Nada: When I had my daughter, Meera, I was on the lookout for cute bits for her nursery that were high quality and affordable but I found that there was a lack of such options in the market. This is really what got me to work on the concept with Ayah.

LAUNCHING NOOK, WHAT WAS THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE? //

Both of us are of a background in Architecture and design, so choosing the products and presenting them was the easy part. The tricky part was the business side of things, and we had to learn a lot as went along.

INTERIORS ASIDE, WHAT INSPIRES YOU? //

Ayah: Nature and outdoors

Nada: Anything well-designed and functional

WHY DID YOU CHOOSE BEACHROAD FOR NOOK? //

Beachroad is a prime location. It was one of the most popular places to be growing up, and it still is home to some of the most unique shops and businesses in Dubai. The Beach Center is especially close to our hearts as it brings back so many memories and feelings of Nostalgia.

WHAT INTERIOR / FURNITURE STORES ARE YOU A FAN OF IN DUBAI?

Ayah: West Elm, Bo Concept and Crate & Barrel

Nada: Ikea, West Elm, Aati and Obeji

GLOBALLY WHAT WOULD BE YOUR 5 DREAM LOCATIONS FOR NEW NOOK STORES? //

We both agree on this, anywhere in Italy would be a dream. Next would be London, Tokyo, Istanbul and Cape Town - basically all around the globe.

WHAT ARE YOUR THREE FAVOURITE PIECES IN NOOK? //

Ayah: The Moroccan rugs, the paper vases and the concrete diamonds.

Nada: That’s so difficult to answer! If I must choose then I would say I love the geometrical pastel colored Planters, the graphic cushions with tassels, and what I like to call the Face Pots.

WHERE DID THE NOOK NAME COME FROM? //

We were looking for a short, catchy name that implied feelings of being at home, and was focused around accessories and gadgets. After a lot of research we chose Nook. We like to interpret it as follows:

An interior angle formed by two meeting walls.

A special place which nourishes dreams and imagination, or holds sacred memories.

WHO DESIGNED THE LOGO / BRANDING? //

We designed it together, from the logo and the business cards, to the overall look-and-feel of the shop.

YOUR GREATEST LOVE? //

Ayah: Cats

Nada: The Internet

YOUR GREATEST FEAR? //

Ayah: Losing someone I love

Nada: Humidity

WHAT IS YOUR EARLIEST MEMORY? //

Ayah: Road trips to Oman, Buraimi with family and friends. The memories I am most fond of include some sort of travel.

Nada: Swimming every Friday and Jumeriah Beach with the family back when Dubai beaches seemed to be endless!

WHO IS YOUR ROLE MODEL AND WHY? //

Ayah: My university professor. He taught me everything I know about design, and showed me that it is really a way of life.

Nada: My father. He is the most hard-working person I have known and I always try to follow in his steps